2008 UPDATES

A few updates since I last posted.

Since we walked to Rome - two years ago this month - another ± 450 pilgrims have received the certificate of completion. That doesn't mean that only this number walked the VF routes - only that this small number received the certificate. Over 214 000 pilgrims received the Compostela in Santiago in 2006/2007. Many more thousands walked parts of the caminos but did not collect a certificate in Santiago.

PILGRIMS TO ROME

www.pilgrimstorome.org.uk

The Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome 1st AGM was held on 27th April 2008 where they adopted a Constitution and formally elected a Steering Group which meets on the 3rd Tuesday of every 4th month. General Meetings open to all will continue on a regular basis - the next one is Saturday 1st November.

For now, membership is free but this will change in 2009. Members can order a ‘Pilgrim Record’ from the website

Pilgrim Practical Day

They will have their first Pilgrim Practical Day on Saturday 7th February 2009. It will be a half day running from 10:00 to 14:00. Venue will be either St James’s Church Picccadilly or St Alphage Church Hall - to be confirmed. (St Alphage was a former Bishop of Canterbury)

Ann Milner, webmaster for the Confraternity of Pilgrims To Rome, is walking on the VF right now - from London to Rome and then up to Assisi. Follow her blog here: www.walk2assis.blogspot.com

Guides in English

http://www.pilgrimagepublications.com/UKShop/PayPal/ppbooks.html

This is the first volume in a two volume guide for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders travelling the Via Francigena. The first volume covers the 1030 kilometres from Canterbury to the summit of the Great Saint Bernard Pass on the Swiss-Italian border. Each volume contains detailed routing instructions, route schematics, listings of accommodation and services and descriptions of the history of key locations along the route. Purchasers of the book are entitled to receive GPS waypoint data and periodic route updates for area covered.

The second volume covers the 942 kilometres from the summit of the Great Saint Bernard Pass on the Swiss-Italian border to St Peter's Square in Rome. Purchasers of the book are entitled to receive GPS waypoint data and periodic route updates for area covered.

WEBSITES:

News from the AIVF: http://www.francigena-international.org/

MEMBERSHIP FEES for 12 months

Individual 26 €
Family or Couple 40 €
Under 25 16 €
Supporter organisation 120 €

I don’t know what the benefit of becoming a member is as you still have to pay 7 € each for a badge or flag and 5 € for the brooch: 5 € and 8 € for a list of accommodations between Canterbury and Gr St Bernard and Aosta to Rome: 16 € for maps from Gr St Bernard to Rome (if they are the same set that we bought, I must say that they are practically useless to use for walking)

GUIDES by AMIS PILGRIMS

- Riding the Roman Way GB Babette & Paul Chinn 2007

- Walking with Awareness + VF by Michael Metras USA

- Die Via Francigena 2007 DE von Birgit Goetzmann Stein Verlag-DE Kulturelle Beschreibung des Weges 14,90€

The Testimonium:

TESTIMONIUM Peregrinatoris ad Limina Petri (IV) -the only original since 6.2001- a parchment in limited edition, created by AIVF, will be given at the sacristy of St-Peter's Basilica, if possible in the Grottoes by Mons. Bruno Vercesi to pilgrims that have walked at least from Acquapendente to St Peter’s (150km) or cycled from Lucca (400km)

News from the AEVF website: http://www.viafrancigena.eu/

Near the office of Saint Peter of the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, anyone is yearning to face the adventure to travel on foot, by bus or by car the historical ways of the Faith, will be able to receive all the useful informations and a series of catalogues containing deepenings and proposals.
This is where you will get your "Romea" or "Testimonium" after walking the last 100kms to Rome.

They offer a Credential: Pilgrim's credential

The Credentials of the Pilgrim are a collapsible page, a “identity card” that the pilgrim will compile during its travel, to test and memory of the completed way

You can order it at the Tourist Office in Fidenza. You simply have to send a letter containing a self-addressed stamped priority mail envelope (2,80 € + return receipt 0,60 €) to the following address: Associazione Europea Vie Francigene: Piazza Duomo, 16 -43036 Fidenza – PR.

- or you can get it directly at the Central Office of the European Association of Vie Francigene in Fidenza (Pr) – Piazza Duomo, 16 . Opening hours: Every day from 9.00 to 12.30, and from 15.00 to 17.00)

The Credential is available also by other Associations: Iubilantes, Confraternita dei Romei, Association Via Francigena, Confraternita di San Jacopo di Compostela, Eurovia.

Via Francigena: The latest 6 monthly glossy newsletter is now available from the Revista website. It costs 6 euro + 4 euro postage.

http://www.rivistaviafrancigena.it/eng_frames_ok.htm

VF Souvenirs are now available in (the form of Cammini de Europe items)

http://www.camminideuropaline.eu/ita/souvenir.asp

Other news:

UPDATES ON THE ROUTES

The province of Imperia have published a leaflet on their 83km
section of the coastal route linking Menton with Sarzana.
http://www.confraternitadisanjacopo.it/Francigena/viafrancigena/ViaDellaCosta_Im\
peria.htm
Infuriatingly, I can't find any mention of it on their website, but
there's an overview profile of the route at
http://www.provincia.imperia.it/Turismo/Escursioni/LaViaDellaCosta.htm
It's partly along the coast, and partly inland a bit, visiting the
shrines of the Porrine and Montegrazie (where there are frescoes
related to the Golden Legend story of St James).

This route was officially opened in March as part of their Paths
Festival, when 3 sections of the route were walked
http://www.provincia.imperia.it/site/10583/default.aspx

Submitted by Peter Robins to the Yahoo!Groups - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/via-francigena

AND - WHAT HAPPENED TO THE VF FIVE PILGRIMS?

Sil and Marion walked the Camino Frances from Roncesvalles to Santiago from end of August to end of September 2007.

This photo was taken with a nun from the convent of Santa Clara in Castrojeriz. It is a closed order but this nun was happy to come out after we'd bought a couple of boxes of biscuits, and have her photo taken with us.

In 2009, Sil, Marion, Val, Kathy - and a new addition, Linda - will walk parts of the Chemin du Piemont in France and the Aragones in Spain.